Star Trek: Worlds Apart
by Ella.R25
Summary: Jim Kirk's minor role in Leyla's expulsion from Starfleet does nothing to improve her opinion of him. Months after their win over Nero, Kirk has made the transition to Captain and he meets Leyla again but with her refusal to respect his authority, Jim's frustration over her behaviour and a new threat looming, can the Enterprise crew overcome their differences in time to save Earth?
1. Chapter 1

**2255 - Riverside, Iowa**

The bar was packed, and ridiculously loud. Rock music blared from the establishments jukebox and the inebriated young adults were each partaking in their own noisy activities. There was a group that looked like they'd been drinking since noon and were currently slurring their way through a deep conversation, several pretty girls had taken to dancing in whatever space they found available after having one too many wine coolers, some kind of drinking game was taking place around a large circular table, the players chanting and slapping their hands on the surface as another loser downed their tequila slammer. Of course, there were several couples that had got lucky during the night and were flirting heavily or making out in various dark corners of the bar, then there were the group by the pool table and bandits, happily throwing their money into gambling and attempting to hustle their own friends.

Captain Pike had found the quietest space possible, seated at the end of the bar next to the hatch. He gave a nod to the owner who was admiring the sea of red cadet uniforms from behind the bar, an easy smile on his face as he watched his staff hurriedly serving the long queue and taking dollar after dollar. Pike watched as the man shook his head in amusement before stepping into the back, probably to enjoy the solitude of his apartment upstairs while he raked in the cash.

His eyes dropped back to his scotch, swilling the contents before he drained the glass and stood, heading for the door for a ten minute breather away from the caterwauling youngsters and their so called music.

A petite brunette collided with his shoulder at the doorway, muttering a half assed apology and stumbling straight to the bar. She waved a hand and the barman ignored several waiting customers, who were now giving him abuse for doing so, to stand in front of her. She gave him her best smile and slapped a bill on the bar.

"Jack." She ordered, he nodded with a sleazy wink before filling a tumbler with crushed ice and placing it on the bar, he had the bottle poised to pour out her drink when she spoke again. "Y'know what, I'll take the bottle. It's an occasion, right?"

He handed it over with a raised eyebrow and left her to down her first shot. She winced and stuck her tongue out in distaste but it didn't prevent her from pouring herself another almost instantly. Her lips had just touched the rim of the glass when a leather clad elbow touched hers, she looked at it through her peripheral and then turned her head to the man who owned it.

Piercing blue eyes boar into her green ones and she looked at him questioningly. She was pretty certain she had him sussed within seconds; blonde hair, perfectly styled to look as though it hadn't been styled at all, the relaxed manner he was currently seated, elbows resting on the bar, body angled slightly towards her, eyes staring into hers. Then there was the smug smirk plastered all over his face, plus the arrogance that just seemed to radiate from him. She'd encountered many like him, he probably thought himself charismatic with a cheeky charm that would make most females fall at his feet.

Leyla Riley, however, was not most females. To her he was another presumptuous jerk, a prime example of an alpha male attempting to stare her into submission until she cracked. So she did the opposite. Turning her attention back to the bar, she signalled at the man who served her earlier for another glass, he obliged and she filled both tumblers before sliding one across to the mysterious blonde.

"I'm saving you some time, fly-boy." She looked over to him as she raised her glass in toast, the smug smile was wavering and he frowned. "That is the _only_ thing you'll be getting from me."

She brought her glass down to the side of his when he made no movement and tilted her head back to throw down her second shot, she then stood wordlessly, grabbing her bottle by the neck and sauntering away. The blonde was momentarily stunned but not for long, he hurriedly finished his whisky and moved to block her path. She looked at him blankly so he reverted back to his signature smile and stuck out an arm.

"James T Kirk." She rolled her eyes but shook his hand anyway. "I think I owe you a drink."

"No need, James T Kirk." Leyla held up the bottle with her own smirk while silently pondering his name. _It wouldn't hurt just to humour him, right?_ She knew the answer was more than likely a yes but curiousity had got the better of her."What does the T stand for, Trouble?"

"It can stand for Tallulah if it means you'll talk to me." He quipped, although Leyla was fighting the urge to punch the smirk from his face she had to laugh.

"No offence." She started, "But you don't seem like the type of guy who just wants a conversation."

"Whoa!" He exclaimed through a chuckle. "Sweetheart, you got me all wrong."

"Don't call me that. And even so, I'm not interested." Leyla once again attempted to move past him, only for him to sidestep and stop her for a second time.

"Well, what can I say? I love a challenge." He waggled his eyebrows and she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

"You really can't take a hint can you? I'm not just a challenge, I'm a lost cause. Now if you're done, I'm gonna go get drunk with my friends."

"And if I'm not done?" He countered.

"Then take a hike anyway." His smirk only grew at her brush off. And Leyla decided that she had underestimated James T Kirk, he wasn't just another presumptuous jerk, he was a massive pain in the ass.

"Look, why don't you try the redhead by the bathroom, she looks drunk, lonely and she's been staring at the door since I walked in here which means she's probably been stood up. I think you'll be in with a shout."

She pointed to the woman in question and waited as Jim mulled over her choice before turning back to her with a shrug, he stepped forward, backing Leyla up until her back hit the bar, he placed a hand on the surface either side of her and leaned in closer.

"I think I'd have more fun with a green eyed brunette." He whispered with a grin.

Before he knew it, he was facing the complete opposite direction, his arm twisted painfully behind his back and he felt the woman's breath against his ear as she whispered back at him.

"Goodbye, James Kirk."

And then his arm was released. He should have been discouraged from pursuing her further there and then but he just watched with a mixture of amusement and awe as the woman breezed away through the crowds and straight to more cadets surrounding the pool tables. It had been a long time since a girl had shown no interest in him whatsoever, the more he thought about it he realised it had never actually happened before. With a sigh he shuffled back onto his bar stool, his eyes still glued to the gorgeous brunette as she laughed along with a trio of male Starfleet goons who she was currently challenging to a game.

"Do you want a drink ?" Jim didn't move for at least twenty seconds, until he realised the question was actually directed at him and he dragged his eyes from the girl and to the bar man, who was waiting impatiently.

"Er yeah, same again." and with that his gaze was back on the woman from earlier, trailing his eyes painfully slowly from the black boots on her feet, over her tanned legs and the tantalizingly short cadets uniform, finally landing on her face which, in his opinion, was pretty much perfect, especially when she laughed. Jim found she was reminiscent of the Hollywood ideal his grandmother used to idolize; high, prominent cheek bones, full lips and a small, straight nose but her most striking feature by far were her eyes, they were the greenest Jim had ever seen and almost made her look other worldly. Her hair was a deep brown and very long, fading into platinum blonde as it reached the small of her back, he found himself grinning as she flicked it over her shoulder while she talked, her eyes meeting his for a second and he held his bottle in the air with a wink. She did nothing but roll her big green eyes and look away, Jim was stumped.

He sighed in exasperation and looked around, just in time to see another foxy female cadet turn up at the bar.

"Hi. I'd like a Klabnian fire tea, um 3 Budweiser Classics, 2 Cardassian sunrises and a..."

"Try the Slusho, it's good."

"A Slusho mix, thank you."

"That's a lot of drinks for one woman." Jim cut in, leaning forward so she could see him clearly. _She'll do_, now matter how shallow, was his first thought. With a bit of luck and one hell of a miracle, his initial choice might be bitten by the green eyed monster.

Foxy female cadet number two ignored him.

"And a shot of Jack, straight up."

"Make that two. Her shot's on me." He tried again.

"Her shot's on her." She corrected before turning to look at Jim. "Thanks, but no thanks".

"Don't you at least wanna know my name before you completely reject me?" He asked, becoming eager to break the ice. He'd tell her his name, find out hers, dial up the Kirk charm and boom, the deal would be sealed.

"I'm fine without it." She answered.

_What is with these Starfleet chicks!? _

Leyla cheered as her opponent missed another easy shot and sprung to her feet. She focussed on chalking her cue but cast a glance to the bar, double taking when she spotted James Kirk already sidling up to his next victim. She shook her head, part in disbelief, part from amusement. _Well, my hypotheses on that guy was bang on target._ And she leaned onto the table, potting the black effortlessly then excusing herself for the bathroom.

She'd been in there approximately thirty seconds before glasses started smashing outside, then tables and chairs clattered to the floor, the music was abruptly cut off and by the time Leyla was rinsing her hands, silence. She hesitantly ventured back into the bar to find it abandoned. That, and in complete turmoil.

She grabbed her bottle, which had miraculously survived, as she made her way further into the room. There was a semi-unconscious man sprawled out uncomfortably on one of the remaining tables and an older Starfleet Captain apologising profusely to the bar staff. Glass crunched under her feet and he turned to her with a stern look.

"Party's over." He said simply. It was an obvious order for her to leave disguised as a statement.

"Fine." She replied with a nod then she smiled, turning her eyes over to the barman. "I'll just get a Cardassian Cooler and be on my way."

"No, Cadet. You'll go now." He spoke firmly, but the effectiveness of his strict demeanour was shattered when the body on the table groaned and the older man had to chuckle. "Check our friend's still alive on your way out."

Her shoulders sagged at his dismissal and she trudged over to the table. _Suppose I'm gonna have to get used to taking orders._ She sighed, leaning over the man's face and feeling no surprise whatsoever at the sight before her. James T kirk had smiled his smug smile at the wrong person and got his pretty face caved in, what a shocker.

She gave him a slight tap on his cheek and his eyes fluttered open, albeit somewhat crossed, and slowly but surely a wide grin spread onto his face.

"Am I in heaven? Because you're an angel." He slurred with that smirk and Leyla did something that she'd done far too many times since meeting James Kirk not even an hour ago.

She rolled her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Leyla sat in the Captains chair and took in the gleaming white bridge. It was beautiful, there was no other word for it. Maybe 'amazing' or 'spectacular' could just about sum it up and initially, upon searching for a word to describe it; 'white' had popped into her head more than once in her current state, but she had settled on beautiful. Because to her, it really was.

It had been her dream since eight years old to sit in this chair, or any chair on the bridge of a Starship. She remembered been seated on the floor as a child, her face centimetres from the TV as she watched a documentary centred around the Federation. Starfleet's activities were rarely televised with the exception of news broadcasts, but this had been an exclusive, a one time only chance to see what been a part of the Federation entailed, and Leyla liked everything she saw.

It inspired her, the passion those people on the screen displayed for their jobs, and the love they clearly felt for their comrades. That was the part Leyla envied most. It wasn't the desire to explore strange new worlds, or the need to feel she was doing something worthwhile with her life, It wasn't even a devotion to peace which attracted her to Starfleet. These were bonuses and she did want _all_ of these things but most of all, she wanted that feeling which had been visible on all the crew-members faces as she watched the documentary. She wanted to be part of a family, to care for someone so much it forced her to act completely selflessly. She assumed that most people had someone in their life that they would put before themselves, but she didn't.

Looking through the view screen ahead of her, she took the final swig from her bottle.

_Security's lax._ She thought with a smirk as she scaled the fence, ironically climbing over a sign which read 'Authorised Personnel only.' Once safely on the ground, and no longer in any danger of been arrested for trespassing, she turned back, resting her elbows on the wooden gate beside her. She glanced at the digital watch on her wrist, it was just gone seven a.m and she felt like crap. Her body felt like it was half way to been completely sober. Her mind, however, was a different story. She was currently seeing two Starship Enterprises and she was ninety nine percent certain if she attempted to speak she would just sound like a cave man.

But, with an hour to go before setting off to San Francisco there wasn't much point in going to sleep now.

"Well, look who it is." A strangely familiar voice came from behind her and within seconds, there was a figure at her side. Her sore eyes lazily forced themselves to look at the owner of the voice and she couldn't hold back a groan. "Do you come here often?"

She said nothing and just glared at him instead. Even after getting his ass handed to him a matter of hours ago he was still smirking. "And by here, I mean do you often break into restricted areas that are patrolled by heavily armed guards?"

"I was curious." She shrugged, the small action causing her to sway into him. She scowled and corrected herself instantly, choosing to ignore his amusement. "What the hell are you even doing here?"

"I was curious." He mimicked with a grin. They both looked back to the Enterprise and fell silent, Jim exhaled a sharp breath and she eyed him from the corner of her eye. It was the first time he'd looked even remotely serious, like he was deep in thought. Suddenly he jerked his head back to face her. "So, how was it?" She knew he'd caught her looking at him but was pleasantly surprised when he let her off the hook. However, she didn't have a clue what he was asking her.

"Huh?"

"The ship..."

"What's it to you?" She snapped.

"Jesus, are you like this with everyone?" He asked, Leyla just scoffed and shook her head, her attention going back to the Enterprise. Realising he was getting nowhere, Jim sighed. "Captain Pike gave me a pep talk on the merits of The Federation, guess he got me thinking-"

"-Whoa there, dial it back." She interrupted and turned to face him, the vague intrigue he suddenly saw in her eyes forcing his smirk to reappear. "A Captain of Starfleet tried to recruit _you_?"

He nodded nonchalantly and she stared at him before scoffing. "Holy shit, they must be desperate."

His smirk fell and he raised an eyebrow."I'm gonna choose to ignore that because you're cute." Jim didn't miss the way she turned her head to hide the smile that accidently made it's way onto her face, but he pretended he did. "What made you wanna join?"

"Nothing _you'd_ understand." She shrugged, looking out onto the ship again. It was Jim's turn to roll his eyes. _Just when I'm making progress..._

"You're really judgemental, you know that?"

There was a silence as he also turned to stare straight ahead and although she, already, very much disliked James Kirk, his words had an effect and she subtly studied him while he studied the Enterprise. Closing her eyes, she sighed deeply and turned to her him, folding her arms over her chest.

"Okay farm-boy, I'll tell you. But only because I have thirty five minutes to kill." He smiled and she pursed her lips. "I don't know you. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty certain I know the type of guy you are but I don't know a thing about your life. I know that _I've_ been through bad experience after bad experience and the only thing that kept me going was the idea that one day I would be away from all of it, doing something I loved." Jim's eyes watched her carefully as the walls came down while she talked about the Federation with passion. Her gaze automatically drifted to the sky and her green eyes sparkled, her rigid posture loosening. "The possibility of exploring space, of meeting new races and cultures...it's dangerous and exciting. Delving into the unknown and having no way of been able to predict what you'll find...it's...living. Living with spontaneity and...and...purpose-"

"-That's not the reason." Jim cut in.

"Excuse me?" Her brow furrowed.

"That yarn you just spun me. That's not why you wanted to join."

"You didn't let me finish." She spoke in a whisper, her eyes raking over his face. "My point is that no matter how shitty life is here on Earth, no matter how insignificant you feel, everyone in Starfleet has the potential to _be_ someone, to _be_ important. Because everyone aboard a starship _is_ important, _everyone_, from the commanders to the engineers, from the comms officers to the nurses. Everyone aboard that ship matters because they're making a contribution and _that_ is why I joined. Because I wanted to be a part of something special."

Jim was stunned she had shared something with him that she obviously felt so strongly about, as was she, if the awkward clearing of her throat was anything to go by. He put it down to the entire bottle of Jack Daniel's she had consumed...so did she.

"So what will you be contributing?" He finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Engineering is my focus."

"I bet you are one hot grease monkey." He grinned with a wink, a ghost of a smile graced Leyla's lips but she made sure it was gone as soon as it arrived and she sighed in exasperation.

"And just like that, the moment is ruined." She pushed off from the gate and took steps away from him.

"We were having a moment?" Jim shouted after her forcing her to spin back around.

"No, a moment occurred, we weren't sharing one." She blew out a breath. "Look, if you're actually, _seriously_ considering enlisting, there is only one question you need to ask yourself and answer honestly in the next thirty minutes...are you really,_truly_ happy been you, doing whatever it is you do and working the daily grind for the next forty years, or do you want to be someone? Do you want the name James T Kirk to maybe be in the history books someday...or on the wanted posters?"

She gave him a pointed look and she could almost see his mind reflecting on her little speech, his eyes looking to the ground. Then, she turned to leave.

"If I join can I take you out for a drink?" He yelled again, she chuckled humourlessly, not bothering to turn back around as she answered.

"There are not enough ways in the world I can say No to that question."

Jim quietened again, his mind too occupied with the opportunity that had suddenly been sprung upon him rather then her rebuttal. He suddenly realised she was actually walking away and his head snapped up. "Hey, where are you going?"

She turned around, taking small steps backwards."I'm going to be twenty minutes early for take-off, like a good cadet." She quipped with a faux innocent smile.

"Can I at least get a name to put to the face of my new favourite green eyed brunette?" He grinned. "Otherwise I'm gunna have to go with that. And it's kind of a mouthful."

"Trust me, James, when you realise within your first hour of the academy how many hot girls there are that are intelligent enough to program extremely complicated subroutines but still dumb enough to fall for your lines, you won't remember it anyway."

"Wanna bet?" He muttered under his breath as she walked away from him before opening his mouth to yell at her once more. "And, It's Jim!"

He watched as she carried on forward, remaining focussed on her until she had disappeared out of view. Not that he was paying any attention to her as she left, or to anything. His brain was too busy to even check out the brunette's rear end and that kind of opportunity was one Jim seldom passed up. The night had certainly been an eventful one, Captain Pike had lit a fire in him when he'd dared him to do better than his Father, one which Jim was finding increasingly difficult to extinguish. Not only that, but the nameless brunette had possibly and inadvertently made his mind up for him with the wanted poster analogy alone. He _did_ want to be someone, no matter how much he gave the illusion he didn't care about the direction in which his life was heading, he did. Because it was heading into the gutter and he knew it. So did Captain Pike, and so did the girl.


	3. Chapter 3

**3 years later**

It could never be said that Leyla Riley had lived an easy life. Having been thrown into the care system at five years old, separated from her twin brother as a result and shifted from pillar to post for the majority of her childhood, there was little wonder she had swerved severely off the rails as a teenager. It didn't take a psychiatrist to work out that she was angry at the world, and who could blame her? A solid role model had been absent during the most important years of her life, a necessary tool when a teen is attempting to differentiate between wrong and right. For five years she had stolen, fought and conned her way through life until she looked in the mirror at nineteen years old and decided enough was enough.

Leyla was many things, she was tardy, unpredictable, unruly, outspoken and sometimes careless. But she had never lacked passion, and that one personality trait was the reason she was even at The Academy right now. Even through all the pain, upheaval and trouble, there was always one constant in her life; Starfleet. And it was that single constant that had forced her to turn things around, to demand a better life for herself. But, despite her impressive effort to chase after her dream, it wasn't as easy to change character as it was to change the way she lived; Leyla had always and still had one major flaw; the inability to ask for help. Of course, it stemmed from years of having to do everything for herself and it had given her a stronger will, she was untouchable and unfazed on the harsh streets of Brooklyn. But, in an educational setting such as The Academy it could prove disastrous. And Leyla was slowly coming to learn this.

It had started a year into The Academy, when everything was going swimmingly and she turned out to be a naturally skilled engineer. Been the top of her class had garnered the attention of Admiral Carver, who had revealed to her his excitement over the initiative and proficiency she demonstrated in regards to her work. Discovering her interest in weapons and alien phenomena had only proved to please him further and he had demanded she work toward a more senior role. That is how she found herself taking on tactical as well as engineering, it was the reason she was currently overloaded with work, Admiral Carver's belief caused her to be on her hands and knees, prodding a screwdriver into one of Spock's ridiculously powerful computers.

She was struggling, and what did she do when she struggled? She bailed and pretended everything was peachy. Even though she wanted to graduate so badly, she could never ask anyone to aid her. Because to Leyla, that would be admitting to a weakness, and she would die before she did that.

Any Human would be able to understand it, maybe see clearly through the act and _offer_ their help. A Vulcan, however, was an entirely different story.

Spock stood rigid to the side, his arms folded neatly across his chest as he watched Leyla assess the damage she had caused. She placed her tiny handheld torch in-between her teeth, freeing her hands to fiddle with the circuit board before she gave up and took the torch back in her hand.

"What a mess." Leyla surmised as she peered at the wires which were still hissing and smoking from her earlier mistake.

Spock's head tilted to the side. "Picturesque descriptions will not mend broken circuits, Cadet Riley."

She slowly turned her head to look at him and opened her mouth to argue but snapped it shut almost instantly, pursing her lips and turning back to the computer, she blew out a steady breath to keep her anger in check before speaking.

"It was an observation, Professor." She replied through gritted teeth. "Not a solution."

"Hm." He squeaked almost cheerfully, like something suddenly made sense to him. Leyla tried to ignore it, she really did but before she knew it her torch was clattering to the floor and she stood, turning to observe the blank faced Vulcan, subconsciously mimicking his stance.

"What was that?"

With another tilt of his head, Spock raised an eyebrow. "Please elaborate, Cadet."

"That 'Hmmm' you just did."

"I was merely, silently speculating how your statement might pertain to your past failures."

Leyla's face reddened and she took a step forward. "And how did you arrive at that conclusion, Professor?"

"I reasoned that if you concentrated more heavily on solutions, perhaps my computer would not be in such dis array. That, and you may not have failed the Kobyashi Maru test so spectacularly."

Leyla gaped at him while her blood boiled, she dropped her arms to her side and clenched her fists. She hated Professor Spock, _hated_ him. And he'd made it abundantly clear that the feeling was mutual. The only thing that _ever_ prevented her from punching his Vulcan face off was his superiority...and the fact that his species was about three times stronger than her own.

"You are dismissed, Cadet. I do not wish to endanger my technological equipment further."

It took every ounce of Leyla's self control to keep her mouth clamped shut and nod before storming from the lecture hall and down the corridor. She made a vow to get to the nearest soundproofed room and scream at the top of her lungs to prevent her from pounding the next face that looked in her direction into oblivion.

She fled the main building and squinted against the harsh sunlight that greeted her as soon as she stepped outside. It was a gorgeous summers day which calmed her slightly, but no where near enough, seeing as she would have to spend it indoors with her eyes glued to her PADD. To top her day off brilliantly, It just so happened that the next face which looked at her happened to be Jim Kirk's, which led her to rethink her strategy and consider whether it would be worth getting thrown out of Starfleet for just relenting and slamming her fist into his jaw.

He was sat casually at the bottom of the steps, leaning against the wall behind him and had probably been looking up the girls short skirts like a pervert as they passed him.

"Hey." He smirked as she descended the steps.

Leyla ignored his attempt to talk and she strolled forwards with purpose. It wasn't long before she felt Jim's presence at her side, easily keeping up with her hurried steps as they manoeuvred the bustling grounds.

"Is it Anna?" She didn't even turn her head to glare at him, she didn't have the energy. "No, it doesn't suit you. How about Alicia? Ava? Alison?...Incase you hadn't noticed, I've changed tactics. Starting with the A's, I'm gonna work my way through the whole alphabet till you react. Sooooo, Abbey? Amy? Amber? April? Come on, at least give me a clue...am I hot or cold?"

She said nothing, just continued walking with him following beside her. "Okay, maybe it's more exotic...like Anastasia, Aysha or Americ-"

"Jim!" She halted abruptly and spun around to face him. "Stop. Talking." She ordered and stared him down just for added effect. It had no effect.

Jim simply grinned back. "America, huh?"

She stepped forward again, if she wasn't so short it would almost look like she was squaring up to him. Again, it did nothing but amuse the blonde haired man. "Back off, I'm not in the mood."

"Alice?" With that, Leyla turned, more than ready to continue her storming.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." He grasped her upper arm with a chuckle and she unwillingly span back round. "I'm sorry, I'll stop. But only if you tell me what's got you looking like you wanna murder someone."

"Spock." She spat with venom.

"What's a Spock?" Jim asked, confusion evident on his face.

"It's the someone I wanna murder. I swear to God, I am so sick of him and his subroutines, his 'logical' thinking and his goddamn Kobyashi Maru."

"Kobyashi Maru?" He asked with interest.

"Yeah, It's this test-"

"I know what it is, I'm taking it tomorrow." Jim interrupted, his words emitting a cynical laugh from Leyla.

"I wouldn't waste your time."

"Y'know,you and Bones would really hit it off." He sighed, then gave her a cocky smile. "Anyhow, you know what they say...third times a charm."

"Third time!? Wow, you really are crazy." Leyla laughed. An actual amused laugh, Jim noticed. His concentration was swiftly away from the Kobyashi Maru and back on the brunette. He smiled at her as she shook her head in disbelief, not a smirk, a smile.

"Hey." He nudged her with his elbow, and she met his eyes. "Why don't we go for a drink tonight, I'm buying."

Her own smile vanished and she scoffed, opening her mouth to launch into another tirade. "Are there no lows you won't sink to? Just because I'm mad and upset you automatically think that I'd let you ply me with drink an-"

"-Woman, cool it. I've just got a question to ask...and you look like you could use a night out."

Leyla could see he was been genuine, but there was something about Jim Kirk that she couldn't trust, no matter how nice he was to her. She knew what he was, gossip spread like wildfire around campus and Jim was almost always the subject of it. He was a womaniser, a player, a ladies man...whichever way it was dressed up, Jim used girls for sex. And Leyla was _not_ going to be another naive girl to fall into that trap. She bit her lip as she looked at him suspiciously.

"Look, the most I'm hoping for is your name. I've seen you drink, remember? I'd have to spend a fortune to get you drunk enough that you'd sleep with me."

"Stop." Leyla grimaced and waved her hands dismissively. She took one look at Jim's hopeful expression and sighed. "I'll meet you at the campus bar at seven." His smug smirk began to appear and Leyla held up a finger. "But, this is only because I get drunk for free and I'm curious about your question. This does not mean I like you...in any way, shape or form."

He nodded, grinning down at her. Leyla had a feeling she would regret this moment.

"Got it."

* * *

"So what is this burning question you wanted to ask me?"

Leyla and Jim sat at a high table in the middle of the busy bar. Him with his bottle of beer and Leyla with a colourful cocktail, taking advantage of Jim's generous offer and picking the most expensive beverage on the menu. Jim looked at Leyla as she placed her plump red lips around her straw and took a sip of her drink while she waited for his answer. He gulped and shook his head, attempting to steer his thoughts from the gutter, his seduction techniques were lost on Leyla, she had made that crystal clear.

He found it near impossible to look at her in a platonic way though, he found that with women in general but, for some reason, especially the nameless brunette. Probably because she was the only female that had ever been completely unattainable to him, it was a classic case of wanting what you can't have, or in this case wanting something that doesn't want you back.

She had only made it worse when she had turned up to meet him looking effortlessly stunning. He was so used to seeing the cadets uniform, he hadn't been prepared to see her in tight black jeans, a white long sleeved crop and an oversized leather bomber zipped to offer only a glimpse of her exposed midriff, which Jim was eternally thankful for. Her hair was loose to frame her face, like it had been the first day he'd met her and he noticed for the first time that the white-blonde had been replaced with a fiery red. She hadn't dressed to impress him, everything about her outfit, from her white pumps to the jacket, was casual and meant for comfort, but she had somehow done it anyway and Jim didn't know whether to hate or like her even more for it.

"Um...it's more of a proposition." He finally answered, averting his eyes from her face and to the label of his bottle.

"Oh boy." She sighed, "I don't like the sound of this."

He laughed out loud and shook his head, surprised that she seemed to have spoke only in jest. "Nothing like that...It's about the Kobyashi Maru."

Leyla threw her head back with a groan. "I came here to _forget_ about all that."

"Yeah, and once you've heard my idea and told me what you think, we will do." He shrugged before leaning further onto the table. "Now, you're into tactical right? That means you're a nerd when it comes to defensive systems, internal security and to be good at that you have to be able to programme subroutines and well...hack into them, correct?"

"I'm slightly offended that you think that's all my focus entails but yeah, that's about the essence of it."

"And you're good at it?"

"When I'm not been observed by Spock, yes. That guy puts me on edge."

"So...say you hacked into a highly complicated programme and, oh I don't know, programmed a subroutine to alter the conditions..."

Leyla's furrowed brow slowly lifted and a wicked grin formed on her lips. "You mean, such as the Kobyashi Maru?"

Jim feigned shock as he reeled back and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Now, did I say that?" He asked with mock innocence.

She gave a full laugh at that and took another drink of her cocktail while contemplating, the smile had fell when the straw had left her lips.

"There's one huge kink in your otherwise flawless plan, Jim."

Jim's eyes examined the seriousness of her face as he leaned forward again. She was backing out.

"What's that?"

She sighed. "I fried my Professor's system today by attempting to decode one of his subroutines-"

"-Is that even possible!?" Jim queried, a little louder then necessary and Leyla gave him a pointed look. "Sorry."

"No you're right. At this rate, I'll be lucky to even graduate. You have got the wrong girl, my friend." Jim raised an eyebrow. "It's an expression, it doesn't mean we're actually friends."

"Whatever." He dismissed with an eyeroll. "All that inspirational spiel you fed me three years ago and you haven't even listened to your own advice. I thought you wanted to be somebody? Well, you're not gonna do that if you give up as soon as some lame Professor thinks you suck. You've gotta do this, get a kick-ass grade, graduate and show that Spork guy who's boss."

Leyla had raised both eyebrows in surprise at some point during his speech, she was impressed, even flattered that he remembered their conversation three years ago. And it pained her to admit that he was right. She was allowing her hefty workload to get the better of her instead of showing the Academy exactly what she was capable of, and while helping Jim Kirk cheat the test, probably wasn't the right way to prove her worth, the rebellious side of her was itching for some action.

"It's Spock." She corrected.

"Screw Spork, are you in?" He asked eagerly.

Leyla chewed on her lip then looked at Jim, who was caught between hopefulness and resignation and she smiled. "Hell yeah." She confirmed, laughing as Jim slammed a palm on the table and lifted his bottle in celebration, their drinks met with a clink before they each downed them swiftly in preparation for the next round.

"Same again?" Leyla nodded at his question as he slid out of his seat. "By the way...I'm on B now." He informed as he placed a hand on her chair and his other on the table to look her dead in the eyes. "So far, I've got Bella, Beth, Blair, Bree, Brittany, Brooke and Brunhilda...the last one's kind of a wildcard."

He paused when he'd finished his list, studying her eyes for a flicker of, well...anything but she just wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"No? Okay, I'll just get the drinks."


End file.
